Saudi Critics and the new Saudi Arabia

Dania (28) is not a typical Saudi. As a teenager, she felt that something was off about the conservative story of Islam she was taught at school. She didn’t know exactly why she doubted it, but she simply didn’t believe the Salafist narrative. She studied various theologians and went to her teachers with questions. She went through a Sufi phase and immersed herself in European Enlightenment thinkers. She even read the Bible — “a very bad Arabic translation of a bad book, especially when compared with the beautiful writings of the Quran.” Nothing helped. “I wanted nothing more than to believe in God. That would have made everything so much easier. I explored different schools within Islam. It didn’t help. I realized I was an atheist.”

READ ON (Paywall, Dutch): https://www.standaard.be/buitenland/kritische-stemmen-in-saudi-arabie-ik-spreek-nooit-over-mijn-athesme-behalve-op-internet/76225396.html